Not long ago there was a fairly well-founded rumour that Britain’s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds had banned the use of the word “cock” when meaning a male bird. What had happened was this: an article had been published in one of its journals in which it censored the phrase “cock blackbird” replacing it with ****blackbird.
It was, apparently, the fault of a software programme which automatically eliminated any word deemed to be offensive. The matter was quickly rectified. But, for a moment, it seemed that no longer could refined British birders describe the familiar dawn cry of a ****erel crowing ****-a-doodle-do!
Oops, I should have written, ****-a-******-do.
A reader of my column in The Star, Ruth Logie, wrote, “I was horrified about not being able to use words like ‘cock robin’ and perhaps even ‘titmouse’.
“Imagine if asteriskization takes hold.
“Enid Blyton has already been bowdlerized by having ‘Dick’ and ‘Fanny’ eliminated as children’s names. Imagine what would happen to Enid Blyton’s stories if the automated censor really got going?”
Ruth then surmises: “Hooray, hooray!” said D*** excitedly, running into the room where his sister F**** was playing on the carpet with her p***** cat while Mother knitted a scarf out of two ***** of wool. “Auntie Le***ia and Uncle ****hrey have invited us to go on a day t*** to the beach with them!” “How lovely!” cried F****, ***ping her knee on the table in her haste to jump up. “Where are we going?”
“Somewhere in county of Es***,” grinned D***. F**** ****ped her hands.
“We can collect ****les and mussels on the rocks,” she exclaimed. “We might even spot ***** the Whale!”
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: pc, political correctness
